The job of the physician is to alleviate
and, if possible, eradicate disease. However, accomplishing this is
often very difficult as most
treatments for cancer also come with significant adverse effects, often
making it impossible to truly recover and compromising the patient's
remission. Essentially, the potential benefit of the treatment is thwarted
by its harsh toxicity.

Biologists and physicians are charged with the task of understanding
the origin of the disease and preventing its appearance and development.
Both physicians and scientists approach this task differently, but their
goals are complementary.

On the one hand, complementary and alternative medicines look for substances
that can be effective without inducing negative side effects. Yet, within
their ranks they often lack the disciplined scientists needed to provide
them such a treatment. On the other hand, traditional medicine, being
well connected with the pharmaceutical industry, rejects this approach
entirely as something which is impossible and unprofitable.

This dilemma calls for innovation—for thinking outside the box—and
thus was born the Beljanski Approach. It applies rigorous scientific
standards to a combination of traditional and holistic approaches.

The late Mirko Beljanski, PhD., a biologist-biochemist who worked for
over 30 years at the famous Pasteur Institute in Paris, devoted a book
to the exploration of the basic principles of DNA replication and transcription,
and the role of trigger molecules in normal and malignant gene expression
(1). In his book, Beljanski focused on complex mechanisms at the biochemical
level, analyzing the pathways involved when cells differentiate or escape
control during cancer development. Mirko Beljanski devoted much effort
to investigating the role of endogenous and exogenous molecules in triggering
the differential release of information from DNA as well as influencing
cell transformation. He also dedicated many years to searching for a "selective" orthobiological
concept. He hoped to uncover the fundamental factors at the root of sickness
or dysfunction and devise treatments, all without interfering with healthy
cell function, long before this was the trend. He was one of the very
few researchers that combined use of natural products with conventional
cancer treatment, and demonstrated that these methods worked in conjunction
with one another to the patient's benefit.

All the products he developed are totally free of side effects, are of
plant or biological origin and are taken orally. Of the many products
he developed, this article will focus on two in particular: those that
selectively target cancer DNA and cancer cells.

Selective substances targeting cancer DNA
The rapid multiplication of cancer cells is an exact reflection of the
biological behavior of their DNA, whose physical characteristics as well
as biological activity (DNA duplication and transcription) are elevated,
compared to the DNA of healthy cells. Mirko Beljanski showed that activity
of DNA is influenced by several factors: gene expression, enzymes involved
in gene expression and factors which favor or impede DNA synthesis, all
of which can be amplified or minimized (1). He performed a series of
in vitro experiments with DNA purified from various cancer cells.

He found that carcinogens trigger the unwinding of the cancer-DNA's
secondary structure by successively and randomly attaching to vulnerable
sites in purified cancer DNA (1)(2). An accurate visual method for measuring
the soundness of the secondary structure is to evaluate its chromicity,
that is to say, how much light passes through it.
He further observed that the unwinding of the cancer DNA is perfectly
proportionate to the increase in DNA synthesis, which also correlates
to the in vivo rate of cancer cell multiplication (2). Each destabilizing
substance contributed in varying degrees to the separation of the strands
in the cancer DNA helix (3). Their effects are additive and cumulative.

Interestingly
enough, steroids were found to behave like carcinogens so long as
the DNA utilized came from hormonally targeted tissues.
Moreover, the increased multiplication at the cellular level
seen with two frequently
used biochemical products, DMSO and TPA, active in cell differentiation,
can be explained by their ability to destabilize DNA (4).
Yet none of these effects is observed in healthy cell DNA. In fact,
the DNA in healthy cells is not destabilized in the presence of carcinogenic
compounds, nor is the behavior of healthy cells modified.

Seeing the consistency in the results observed in the experiments with
carcinogens (5), Mirko Beljanski devised a test, the Oncotest (6),
which illustrates the effect of substances with carcinogenic potential
on in
vitro synthesis of cancer-DNA versus healthy cell DNA. Mutagens or
not, it demonstrated that all carcinogens behave in very much the same
way
(7).

Cancer-fighting drugs

A: At the DNA
level
Dr. Beljanski then reasoned that a substance that reacts in an equal
and opposite way from carcinogens must surely exist. While carcinogens
increase unwinding and duplication in cancer DNA, Beljanski looked
for molecules that would do the opposite, that is to say partially
close
the DNA strands and slow down cancer DNA synthesis. The Oncotest
provided the tools necessary to search for just such a compound.

And in fact, Dr Beljanski discovered two: the plants Pao Pereira
and Rauwolfia vomitoria. The extracts from these plants were able
to wind
the secondary structure of the cancer-DNA back up again (termed "hypochromicity"),
thereby decreasing both duplication of cancer DNA and multiplication
of cancer cells. Their actions selectively target cancer DNA and
cancer cells, with no effect whatsoever on healthy cell DNA and behavior
(8).

Lengthy studies were conducted with several specific aims, namely:
to isolate the active compound in each plant extract, identify their
individual
properties and evaluate their toxicity as well as how they affect
in vitro cultures of cancer cells and normal cell lines.
It also was necessary to find a good method for purification and
enrichment of the active factors.

B: At the cancer cell levelStudies in vitro
DNA behavior is the microcosmic reflection of the cell's behavior.
Thus inhibiting cancer DNA duplication prevents cancer cell multiplication.
This was extensively tested both on normal and cancer cells cultured
in vitro both in the presence and absence of the two purified plant
extracts (9)(10). Healthy cells were unaffected in every scenario.

Mirko Beljanski showed that carcinogenic compounds (or hormonal compounds)
had to compete with the cancer-fighting extracts, both at the DNA
level and the cellular level (during multiplication).

Thanks to the natural fluorescence of the two active substances in
both plant extracts, it was possible to observe whether the cancer-fighting
drugs entered the cell. It is known that healthy cells, i.e. those
having
stable DNA secondary structures, have a membrane that is essentially
positively charged (+) and impenetrable to many substances. Cancer
cells, to the contrary, have a negatively charged (-) membrane, which
is porous.
Mirko Beljanski was thus able to observe that the fluorescent extracts
remained outside healthy cells but entered cancerous ones.

Healthy Astrocyte

Cancerous Glioblastoma
Cell

Thus
the double specificity of the cancer-fighting extracts was demonstrated,
first, at the DNA level, and second, at the level
of cell permeability.

Many studies have since been conducted to determine the characteristic
profile of the extracts, their toxicity in vivo, etc. Lastly, pharmacological
studies have also been developed.

While both plant extracts share the ability to selectively target
cancer cells, they are not entirely alike. For instance, one works
particularly
well in hormone-dependent tissues. This is particularly helpful
since Mirko Beljanski observed the same competition between the
extracts
and hormonal compounds as he has seen between the extracts and
carcinogens.

Studies in vivo
Following these experiments, both plant extract were then extensively
used to destroy cancer cells in mice (11). Various strains of cancer
cells were grafted onto the mice after which both plant extracts
were used in order to evaluate their ability to prevent ascitic cancer
cells
and solid tumors. The results of these experiments were reported
in Dr Beljanski's many publications, the list of which may be found
at
www.beljanski.com.

Synergy
Typical cancer fighting treatments (i.e. chemotherapy, radiations)
are well known for their ability to destroy both healthy and malignant
cells,
especially those in rapid division. However, at lower doses, these
treatments serve to destabilize the DNA thereby increasing replication.
In other
words, they behave like carcinogens. Knowing that the plant extracts
he was studying were intercalating agents, Mirko reasoned that the
increase in DNA openings would actually enhance their binding and
could therefore
be used to the patient's advantage (12). This benefit has been
observed in vitro during DNA synthesis, as well as in vivo in the
proliferation of cancer cells in mice. In the latter case, the advantageous
synergy
of treatments was measured both in the weight of the excised tumors
and the length of survival among the animal subjects.

Much
later on, the beneficial results were confirmed in those patients
undergoing either chemotherapy or radiation treatments
and taking
at the same time one of the two extracts.

Furthermore, these selectively cancer-fighting substances have
been extensively studied and used concurrent with chemotherapy
or radiation
therapy by
many doctors in Europe to treat numerous cancers. This treatment
combination is particularly effective, facilitates remission, and
also allows the
patient to enjoy a higher quality of life than he would otherwise
have experienced with traditional therapy alone.

Collaboration
Recently the manufacturer of the Beljanski® products, Natural
Source International Ltd, collaborated with Dr. Aaron Katz and Dr.
Debra Bemis
of Columbia University's Department of Holistic Urology to carry
out further studies. The preliminary results confirm the ability
of these plant extracts to destroy prostatic cancer cells in vitro.
Furthermore,
Dr. Bemis and Dr. Katz also observed positive results when studying
the effects of these products on mice that had LNCaP prostatic cancer
cells
grafted onto them.

Spurred on by these observations, a series of experiments were performed
in order to determine the specific mechanism by which the extracts
successfully kill cancer cells. They determined that the cells were
killed through
apoptosis, but that the active mechanism was somewhat different,
specifically in the cell cycle effects of two extracts.

Prostabel®
In light of these findings, Natural Source International Ltd came
up with the idea to benefit from the different strengths of the
two plant
extracts by combining them in one supplement, marketed under the
name "Prostabel®." This
unique combination provides the dual benefits of both plant extracts
in a potent and completely non-toxic formula—an extremely
promising possibility for the many men for whom prostate health
is a concern.
A Phase I clinical trial on healthy men with elevated PSA markers
has already
been announced on Columbia University's website, www.ccc.columbia.edu/protocol/web_adult.html.(August
2005: Link not active.)

Prostabel marks the newest in a line of products with a long history
of customer satisfaction. While the Beljanski® products were
only introduced to the US a little over a decade ago, they had already
been
extensively used in Europe for over two decades with the same degree
of satisfaction. After Dr. Beljanski passed away, Natural Source
International Ltd, a young American company, received the rights
to the Beljanski patents
and is now the exclusive manufacturer of his products. One of the
very first to introduce the Beljanski strategy for the treatment
of cancer
was Dr. Michael Schachter, who presented this approach in his lecture
to the American College for the Advancement in Medicine (ACAM)(Spring
2003).

Since then, Mirko Beljanski's innovations have been advanced by
other well-respected journalists and scientists, several of whom
published related articles in this and other publications. In the
June 2004 issue
of the Townsend Letter, Dr. John
Hall expounded on Beljanski's theory of carcinogenesis and introduced
the most recent findings
of a Columbia University study conducted on the two extracts, the
same ones
detailed in this paper. Prior to that, journalist Morton Walker,
DPM, published a detailed article on Beljanski's research on these
cancer-fighting
molecules (November 2003, Townsend Letter).
The scientific integrity and ingenuity of these findings continues
to attract the attention
of those who are serious about cancer treatment.

Beljanski's multi-pronged approach is completely new, and more
and more doctors are becoming aware of the utility of using multiple
therapies in conjunction with one another. The products themselves,
free of side effects, easy to administer and taken as nutritional
supplements
make this approach all the more palatable. All this was made possible
thanks to Mirko Beljanski's expansive knowledge of biological mechanisms,
the fruits of his many years dedicated to research and his freedom
from any hampering relationship with industrial interests.

Monique
S. Beljanski is retired from the National Center of Scientific Research
(CNRS) in France and worked with her late husband, Mirko Beljanski,
PhD, for more than twenty years at the Pasteur Institute, as well as
for two years in Severo Ochoa's department at NYU, followed by
10 years at the Faculty of Pharmacology in France. She is the co-author
of many of Mirko Beljanski's publications, and the author of several
books.